Ella Hafermalz: Stop Hitting People With Research: Proposing an Alternative to Research ‘Impact’ Narratives

Universities are expected to be innovative, and research “impact” often serves as a key measure of that innovation. Yet “impact” implies a particular model of action. The metaphor suggests that research is like a spear – it moves outwards, hits a target, and produces a visible, attributable effect. Drawing on Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, I contrast this “spear” story with a “container” story. Le Guin argues that container stories are older and more fundamental than spear stories, but they are harder to tell, and therefore less celebrated. Containers allow for gathering, carrying, and holding things in relation. A shift towards a holding view of innovation draws attention to forms of academic consequence that are slower, distributed, and sustained through ongoing organizational work. I ask whether universities’ pursuit of impact narrows what they recognize as innovation, overlooking research that matters through sustaining inquiry, building relationships and capacity, shifting conversations, and keeping possibilities open over time.

Please note: The talk will be held in English!

About Ella Hafermalz

Dr. Ella Hafermalz is Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and was recently a Research Fellow at the Weizenbaum-Institut. Her academic background is in information systems, organisation studies and digital technologies. Her research examines the organisational and societal implications of generative AI, with a particular focus on AI-generated and synthetic data, digital work, creativity and accountability. At the Weizenbaum-Institut, she worked on science communication, in particular on how to talk to children about AI and how to foster public understanding of emerging AI technologies.

Registration

The lectures take place in person at the Weizenbaum Institute. There is no registration needed. Online participation via Zoom is also possible. Please send us a short e-mail in advance for more details: kolloquium.rvw[at]weizenbaum-institut.de

About the Colloquium

The colloquium series discusses current topics related to the impact of digitalization on collective knowledge practices and bodies of knowledge from an interdisciplinary perspective. We regularly invite experts who research these questions through various interesting approaches. The colloquium series is both open to researchers from the Weizenbaum-Institut as well as anyone interested.